Details of Amon-Ra St. Brown’s Lucrative Extension with the Detroit Lions

Amon-Ra St. Brown, the talented wide receiver selected 17th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, has secured a lucrative long-term contract extension with the Detroit Lions. This deal places St. Brown as the second receiver in the NFL’s 2021 draft class to sign a lucrative long-term contract, following Ja’Marr Chase’s extension with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The specifics of St. Brown’s contract, obtained from a source familiar with the terms, reveal a comprehensive breakdown of the financial commitment made by the Lions to their rising star. The contract is structured as follows:

1.

Signing Bonus:

$16.5 million
2.

2024 Base Salary:

$1.366 million (fully guaranteed)
3.

2025 Option Bonus:

$8.5 million (fully guaranteed)
4.

2025 Base Salary:

$8.3 million (fully guaranteed)
5.

2025 Offseason Roster Bonus:

$100,000
6.

2025 Per-Game Roster Bonus:

$510,000 (total)
7.

2026 Base Salary:

$27.5 million (guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in 2025)
8.

2026 Offseason Roster Bonus:

$100,000
9.

2026 Per-Game Roster Bonus:

$510,000 (total)
10.

2027 Base Salary:

$23.37 million ($14.834 million guaranteed at signing, $7.417 million fully guaranteed in 2026, and $7.417 million fully guaranteed in 2027)
11.

2027 Offseason Roster Bonus:

$100,000
12.

2027 Per-Game Roster Bonus:

$510,000 (total)
13.

2028 Base Salary:

$35.4 million
14.

2028 Offseason Roster Bonus:

$100,000
15.

2028 Per-Game Roster Bonus:

$510,000 (total)

The contract provides St. Brown with a significant financial commitment, with $35.276 million fully guaranteed at signing and a total practice guarantee of $62.776 million. This guarantee ensures that the Lions would incur a substantial financial penalty if they were to release St. Brown before the 2026 season. The injury guarantees in the contract total $77.612 million, providing St. Brown with protection in the event of a significant injury.

While the contract has a new-money average of $30.0025 million over four years, the compensation package in the final year pushes the average annual value to $36.01 million. Over the first three years of the extension, St. Brown’s contract is worth $28 million per year. From the time of signing, the deal has an annual value of $24.675 million. Removing the inflated final year, the average value of the five-year deal from signing is $21.841 million.

Despite the hefty financial commitment, St. Brown’s contract does not currently rank as the most lucrative deal ever given to a wide receiver. However, it is important to note that the NFL’s lucrative and competitive nature constantly drives the market value of players upward. As a result, it is likely only a matter of time before St. Brown’s contract is surpassed by other rising stars in the league, such as Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.